American Civil War - 11 Southern States Secede

Back in Colonial America, before New York, Rhode Island,
and Virginia would sign the Constitution in 1787, they made it clear that they reserved the right to secession. Succession
had always been
understood to be a legal option for any state. All the states
realized their power was greater together than it was separately, especially when it came to
blocking foreign aggression. But for decades, the Southern slave states had
maintained their right to keep slavery legal by threatening to secede
from the Union if that right was taken away. The South had threatened so many
times that most Northern politicians did not believe the threat was
real. They thought the
South was bluffing.

Lincoln did not believe the South would secede
either. He
saw no reason for them to secede. He had said many times during his campaign that he would not abolish slavery if he
was elected. That was something Congress had to accomplish, by adding an
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And Congress was split on the question of
slavery. But Southern states were worried. Lincoln was a Republican. Northern
abolitionists were Republicans, and Northern abolitionists had been calling
Southerners violent thugs and morally bankrupt for years because of slavery. Some
abolitionists spoke of the North seceding from the South.

In
November 1860, Lincoln was elected president. In December 1860, South Carolina seceded from the
Union. The people of South Carolina were delighted. Within weeks, other Southern states
also seceded from the Union. These states included Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Representatives of the
seceded states
formed a new country, the Confederate States of America. Individual states in
the Confederacy kept states rights but gave their loyalty and allegiance to this
new country. Montgomery, Alabama was selected to be the capital of the
Confederate States of America. A constitution was written, a president elected.
They set about the business of running their own country. Southerners considered
this step somewhat like an overdue divorce.

In March 1861, Lincoln gave his first inaugural
speech and tried to invite states who had already seceded back into the Union.
His speech began with, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere
with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have
no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so." He went on to
say, "A disruption of the federal Union, heretofore only menaced, is now
formidably attempted.....Will you risk the commission of so fearful a mistake?"

Rather than an olive branch, some Southerners
interpreted Lincoln's speech as a threat of war. Others found his invitation
immaterial. The South had finally taken steps to become independent. They did
not wish to give up this independence. They wanted to protect their way of life.

Between April and June, 4 more Southern states did
secede - the states of Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina,
and Tennessee. That brought the total to 11 states who had seceded from the
Union, and were now part of a new country, the Confederate States of America.